the final week.

 Why must summer go so fast?!? Every year it just flies right on by. And now we transition to a new season, a new schedule and a new routine. It's so bittersweet. I can't believe today is September 1st. Fall is upon us, the weather is changing and we are preparing for school to begin in just 5 short days. My heart is feeling all the emotions right now too. We had so many fun adventures and I loved spending family time together yet I'm so excited for the kids to get back to school and keep learning and growing. And then I'm in shock that they are already so old to be in school! Ha! The life of a mom.
We spent this final week doing a little bit of everything. First up...organize all the school supplies! A list was posted on the PTA website over the summer so we went shopping mid July. And then, 2 hours before the official teacher meet and greet a bunch of us moms realized the teacher list didn't match the PTA list. Eek! A little bit of stress from all of us but we figured some supplies were better than none. I donated extra glue sticks and markers so I guess it all balances out in the end.

 Monday morning we spent at the dentist. All 3 kids, 8 am appointments and no cavities. Success!
Carter came home and studied up for his first official fantasy football draft. He and a bunch of friends from school (plus all the dads) are doing a league together this year and he took it so seriously. Lots of reading, studying, planning and then he was ready to go. He's pretty excited for his team so it'll be a fun season to watch and see how he does.

 Tuesday was another early morning appointment. This time in Seattle for me! Another visit to the corneal specialist and my favorite contact specialist before he takes the fall/winter season off for a bit. Usually I make the kids bring books and toys to occupy their time but this week I let them each have an iPad and play games while we waited. Then, off for a fun adventure in the city!

 First stop...donuts. Always. The kids have learned if they get dragged to a cornea appointment it always ends with a stop at Top Pot across the street. We made our way over to Seattle Center and spent the rest of the day playing and seeing the city.

 Luckily the playground wasn't too crowded so the kids happily ran around for a while before we found a grassy area near the fountain to eat a picnic lunch.

 Then our lunch turned into a spray park kind of day! I didn't come prepared but luckily it was hot outside so the kids dried off pretty quickly.

 We ran around a bit more, played pretend baseball with Simon and then headed over to the monorail for a ride to Westlake.

 The day ended with a visit to the bookstore and then a ride back before heading home. While an early morning appointment is never fun we definitely made the best of it and had such a fun day.

 The next day we went back to Seattle for a zoo day with friends! We just love this family and have known them since Lucy was 3 years old. We are so excited for this school year since all the siblings have class or sports together.

 There was lots of running, climbing, exploring and wandering. Very little animal viewing but we all had fun anyways!

 And then, finally, the long awaited teacher meet and greet day. Both kids are so excited to be in class with the teachers they were hoping for. They both have great friends in their class too. While we were at the school I just couldn't believe we were already preparing for a new year. Seeing old friends, watching younger siblings run around together and seeing old teachers. We just love this community.

 Lucy had an extra special day after meet and greet. A date night with Matt at the Seahawks game! Matt met her at school and they drove straight to the stadium for a night with the Hawks. They didn't get home until almost 11pm that night and she loved every second of it.

One last final summer adventure at the beach house this weekend and we'll be officially ready for fall to begin. Summer 2018 was one of the best!

Read more...

our cabin camping weekend.

Last week ended the summer of camps and our crazy schedule. To coordinate childcare the kids went to a summer camp that thankfully they enjoyed, but it took a lot of time prepping backpacks, lunches, swim clothes and drops offs. We made the best of it but promised Carter a week of football camp at the end of the summer as a trade off for the usual camp they were attending. He was SO excited! And then the wildfires across the state brought in horrific air quality and smoke covered the skies. 3 days of cancelled camp left us all a bit antsy to get outside again so thankfully the last 2 days were fun. We  needed to leave town for our camping trip Friday afternoon so we got to football camp a little early to watch the final minutes of the game. And the final play Carter got an interception and pick 6! Woohoo! So glad he had a fun couple of days.

 And then...we were off! We booked this cabin way back in February as our "camping" option for the summer. We don't have a tent big enough to hold our family and at this stage in life, this is just a little bit easier. Plus, it ended up raining half the weekend. A wet tent and muddy kids would have been miserable. But this cabin was perfect! We were warm and dry when we slept but still spent most of our time outdoors cooking, playing and hiking.

 We have a weird tradition that started on our first camping trip to buy a bag of these Mother's Circus animal frosted sprinkle cookies. I have no idea how it got started since we are not a packaged cookie family. I bake ALL the time and we have a stockpile of cookies, muffins, breads and scones always stored up in the freezer. The kids think it's a huge treat to get a packaged cookie (ha!) so this was a big surprise when we pulled out the infamous pink and white bag.

 Our first night there was an interactive program put on by the parks department all about bats. They did such a great job including kids during the teaching and we learned so much about these little creatures. Plus, Lucy was chosen to dress up as a bat, which she loved!

 Then it was time for s'mores! With the recent wildfires there was a burn ban so we made the best of it with our propane camping stove. Not the same as a campfire but the kids didn't mind.

 The parks department also had a junior ranger book the kids could complete to earn an "official" junior ranger badge. This was a great little book to keep them entertained and learn more about WA state parks and WA state history. Lucy finished hers while we were camping and got to bring home her carved wooden badge. When she was sworn in the sweet old volunteer said she was now a WA Parks employee and of course, Lucy took it very seriously. The rest of the weekend she kept saying she needed to leave to go work with the old lady. Ha!

 Snuggled up for books before bed.

 We kept meals simple but delicious!  And Carter brought along his latest NFL Fantasy football magazine to study up before his first draft next week.

 The next morning after breakfast we packed up for our hike up to the falls. The kids did great and loved exploring all the nature around the trails. There was even a nature bingo game they could play along the way to earn a WA state parks pin when we returned. (Seriously, such a kid friendly place to camp!)

 The temps were cooler but just perfect for our hike. And such a beautiful trail to explore.

 When we returned we opted for an afternoon s'more treat! This way the kids could run off all that sugar well before bedtime.

 We spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards, coloring, working on our junior ranger book and playing baseball and football in the nearby field. The kids even made some new friends with a family staying in a cabin next to us so all the kids ran around together for a few hours.

 The next morning we woke up to rain. Luckily it was another simple breakfast so we chose to eat inside. Of course, the kids immediately ran outside and played in the rain for 2 hours while we packed and cleaned the cabin before heading home. I'd say cabin camping was a huge success and we can't wait to do it again next summer!!

Read more...